


Read Me

by Spirit03



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Blindshipping, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Puzzleshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26923774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spirit03/pseuds/Spirit03
Summary: Me venting about losing my best friend through Yugi. Takes place after Atem/Yami leaves. If this gets positive feedback I'll write more with a happy ending.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi, Puzzleshipping - Relationship, blindshipping - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Letter

_Confidence was never something that came easily to me. You were my backbone, a friend I could retreat to. Now that you're gone I feel I have nowhere to go._

_I feel like nobody understands how close I held you, you're my world. My world has gone away and I keep hoping to turn around and see you watching my back._

_I don't want to go through life alone without you by my side. But death takes and keeps on taking...I just don't understand why it had to take you away from me. Heaven knows I loved you more than anything else._

_I feel like life is testing me to see if I can manage to live without you. This is one game I do not wish to play. It hurts too much to be separated and I've thought about ending it all on several occasions._

_My confidence has been shattered, depression threatens to take over my life. It's hard to find a reason to keep living. Sometimes I think the only reason I haven't given in is because I know you'd be devastated if I did._

_I feel anger sometimes. "Why'd you leave me? Didn't you love me? Do you miss me?" Are things I often ask myself. Maybe...if there is a higher power(s) they don't deem me worthy of being by your side._

"I don't know," I sigh, "this is stupid." I thought if I wrote all this down then maybe somewhere somehow he'd be able to still be able to sense how I'm feeling. That maybe there's a sliver of a chance he can still hear my inner thoughts.

There's a knock on my bedroom door. I jump slightly quickly trying to cover the not pad I was writing in. "

Y-yes?" I stammer.

"Dinner's ready Yugi," I hear grandpa call from the other side of the door. I breath a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," I say getting up from the desk. The widow is open, sending a gentle breeze over the corner of paper that's sticking out. I suddenly get another dumb idea as I take the paper out of the pad. I fold it into an airplane and toss it outside before joining grandpa at the dinner table.


	2. Receiver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yami returns  
> Slightly Unedited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay quick note because I deem it necessary and cute my keyboard keeps capitalizing Aibou and so idk I kept it that way lmao.

Atem’s prospective:

As much as i enjoy the time I have with my friends and family here in the after life, I can’t help but feel like a big part of me is missing. I’m the one that left, Yugi is still alive, so why do I feel like he’s the one who died? Is this even my grief or are we still bound together some how? The puzzle is gone, that shouldn’t be possible, yet I feel miserable. Everyone here has made me feel so welcomed and at home, and yet I don’t feel like this is my home. My home should be in Yugi’s heart forever, but does he even want me there anymore? I just left him, just walked out of his life like it was nothing. I don’t deserve a place in his heart. 

If there’s away to return to him even for one day, I’ll see to that it happens. 

...

I dreamt of you being by my side once more. A door was in front of us and you pushed me towards the entrance, but I said I never wanted to leave you. You said I’d never had to if I let go, so I did. You helped me more than you realize...I loved you more than I realize Yugi...I could never distrust your judgment partner. 

When I awoke I ended up in a familiar area outside the game shop. 

~End of past tense~ 

It’s night and the lights are still on inside, I see something out of the corner of my eye. I make it out to be a piece of paper on the ground. It’s folded in an odd shape and trying to blow away in the wind. 

I feel like I’m invading someone’s privacy by opening it, but I unfold the writing anyway. I quickly recognize the writing as Yugi’s. It seems to be addressed to me so I decide to read what my little Aibou has left me to find. 

With each sentence I read I feel my heart break, my departure has left him in such agony. I never knew I was this important to him, that he loved me so much. That he loved me at all. 

This has to be a dream, I can’t actually be back in Domino with Yugi. But if I am dreaming then I hope I never wake up. 

I step into the game shop and see Mr. Mutou cleaning.

“We’re closed,” he says without looking up. 

“Oh, I know,” I reply. He suddenly looks up and sees me.

“Oh my, Atem...is that really you?” He looks like he’s just seen a ghost, so maybe I’m not dreaming after all. 

“It’s really me grandpa,” I answer as he wraps me in a bone crushing hug. 

“Yugi will be so happy you came back, he hasn’t been himself since you left. Said he lost his best friend,” Mr. Motou says finally letting me breathe. The word friend hurt, maybe he really did mean “love” as in friendship. No, no even if he didn’t he, he definitely wouldn’t tell his grandpa. I try to picture my little Aibou telling his grandpa he’s in love with his other self.

“Where is he?”

“Yugi went off to bed after dinner.”

“Could you do me a favor and not tell him I’m back?” I ask not wanting Yugi to wake up. Yugi’s grandfather gives me a weird look as if to say ‘this seems important enough to wake him up.’

“I don’t want him to lose sleep and get behind on school work because of me,” I clarify.

“Oh alright, I suppose that makes sense,” the old man agrees, “you can sleep in the guest bedroom then and I can wake you up before Yugi so you can surprise him.” I nod in agreement. 

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. New beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay quick note because I deem it necessary and cute my keyboard keeps capitalizing Aibou and so idk I kept it that way lmao.

Yugi’s prospective:

I wake up to my alarm going off and slowly blink my eyes open to turn it off. Morning light pours in from the skylight and I rub my eyes as they adjust to being awake.

I feel better after literally letting go of what I was thinking even if the other me doesn’t ever see it. I’m not sure if I even want him to. All my friends keep telling me he wouldn’t want me to be sad, but I don’t think he’d want me to hold everything in either. 

I pack my things and get ready for school before heading downstairs to greet grandpa for breakfast. 

“Good morning grand-“ I freeze and drop my bag when I see who’s sitting with gramps at the table. 

“Yo,” greets Atem. I feel like I must be dreaming, he’s still in Egyptian attire and his skin is that stunning bronze hue. 

“But...how? I’m not dreaming am I?” I manage to say with how blank my mind has gone. There are so many things I want to say, so many questions I want to ask.

Atem shrugs, “Magic.”

“Can’t argue with magic,” I shrug with tears in my eyes as I go to capture him in a bone crushing hug which is hard to do with the chair between us. 

“Eat your breakfast Yugi, or you’ll be late for school,” grandpa scolds me and I look at him confused.

“You seriously won’t let me skip a day for this?” I ask grabbing at Atem’s face, “He’s finally back and who knows for how long and I still have to go to school?” 

“Alright, you have a point my boy. I’ll call the school,” grandpa says defeated as I silently cheer. 

Atem’s face looks pink by the time I let go of him and I wonder if I made him uncomfortable. 

“Come on, we should get you in something more modern,” I say gesturing towards the stairs. I thought grabbing his hand would be too much in case he’s uncomfortable with physical touch. I know he always had a habit of grabbing my hand when we shared a body, but he was practically a ghost and couldn’t feel it anyway. 

Atem nod getting the idea and follows me. “What about eating? And school?” He asks as if that’s more important.

“I’m not very hungry at the moment, and it’s one day of school. No harm in that,” I say indicating that food and education aren’t my priority at the moment. My heart has been left starving for him for what feels like forever, he’s all the matters right now. 

Atem stands in the doorway to my room as if wondering if he’s aloud to enter. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, It just kind of feels...like I’m entering a memory,” he says and I sense the smallest amount of sadness in this voice. 

“Well I assure you it’s very much real, other me,” I say walking back over to him and patting him reassuringly on the shoulder before retracting immediately. A hurt look flashes through his eyes for a moment and I wonder if I read him wrong. 

I wish more than ever that I could still hear what he was thinking and feel how he was feeling. Without being connected he’s hard to read...

“Ugh so anyway, I was thinking you could just wear something of mine for now since you’re about my size,” I say digging through my clothes, “If you don’t like it we can always go shopping for something more you,” I add handing him a bundle of clothes. 

He nods and starts to strip himself, “Hey wait what are you doing, at least wait for me to leave,” I say flustered as I feel myself turning red. Atem looks at me confused.

“Aibou, we’ve shared a body for years, not to mention we’re both male,” I look at him dumbstruck, as if that makes it okay!

“Maybe, but it still makes me feel...uncomfortable,” I say and he turns his gaze elsewhere. Everything I do seems to get a negative reaction. Did he even choose to return? 

I leave the room and wait for him to change into the black tank and pants I left for him. He opens the door when he’s finished. 

“You look...pretty much the same as when you were my Yami,” I say which again seemed like the wrong answer. Was there something specific he wanted to hear? “Should uh, should we go buy you new clothes?”

“That’s not necessary my partner, I’m fine with this,” is his response.

“How long can you stay anyways?” 

“As long as you wish,” my mouth falls open and then I suddenly think back to if it wasn’t his wish to return. What if my selfishness brought him back. “Is that an issue?”

“Huh? Oh, not at all...I was just wondering if...never mind, let’s just go shopping,” I say hoping I did sound too overly positive. Atem looked confused but seemed to shrug it off.

Atem seemed overwhelmed at the amount of different styles available to him. His favorite clothing item he picked up was a red pull over sweatshirt. 

“What’d ya think?” I ask him as he sits on my bed watching me take the tags off his clothes and putting them what I decided to deem his half of my closet. 

“How do you deal with having so many options and they’re all different sizes too,” he sates and I laugh.

“You know that’s a good point, I’m not sure how we can make such easy decisions.” 

“It’s not true for everything...” 

“What?” I ask not hearing what he said as I move beside him having finished my task. 

“Oh nothing, I was just thinking of how I got here,” he says trying to brush it under the rug.

“How did you get here anyway?”

“A dream.”

“A dream?” 

“Yes Aibou, a dream. I had a dream that you were beside me. You pushed me through a door and said to go. I was scared until dream Yugi said I could be with you forever,” he said looking at the sky through the skylight in the ceiling. 

I could feel my face flush, “Forever...huh.” His gaze swung back down to my face and I could imagine how it must have sounded. “I um I mean, I hope dream Yugi is right and that you can stay forever,” I quickly rephrase and his expression seems to relax again.  
I just hope that I’m not being selfish...

“If what you say is true, why do you continue to look so sad?”

“I guess because I feel like I might have brought you back against your will. I feel selfish. It was your time, I knew that. Yet...” I say watching myself draw circles on the floor with my toes.

“Yet it was like your whole world went away forever?” My eyes shot up to meet his gaze trying to read him. 

“Yes...but how?” I ask stunned as I watch him take a piece of paper from his pocket. I suddenly feel myself turn a dark shade of red knowing exactly what it was. “S-so it did find you,” I say suddenly very uncomfortable. 

“Was I not supposed to?” He asks and I know he means to ask if he was supposed to read it.

“No, you were...I just never thought you’d actually physically read it,” I say adverting my gaze away from him. 

“I can throw it out if it makes you embarrassed,” Atem offers.

“NO!” I exclaim a little too quickly for my liking, “You don’t have to do that.” 

“Well okay then, what would you like me to do with it?” 

“Um, keep it? It is yours after all.” I watch his eyes widen a bit but he soon nods in response. 

I wonder if he understood what the whole thing really meant. 

“Yugi?”

“Hm?”

“Do you still think the Gods don’t deem you worthy to be with me?” The words left his mouth in such a way that there was no doubt I was talking to a king. My heart leaped in my chest as I searched my mind for an answer. 

I know he means “with me” as in part of the same time, but I still feel warm. 

“Well I...I guess I was mistaken,” I say with a shrug. 

“I know you don’t need me here anymore though, you’re doing fine...” I cut him off.

“If being crushed by your absence is “fine” then yeah I’m fine.” 

“Atem, I don’t think you realized how much I value you. I may not need you, I could probably live without you, but there would always be a hole in my heart that only you can fill.” 

“I don’t mean to be selfish and keep you here away from any lover, friends, or family. But I wish I could be included in your destiny,” I’m on the verge of tears by the time I finish. 

I try to recompose myself but I’m suddenly pulled into Atem’s lap in a tight warm hug. I find myself hugging him back and trying not to cry into his shoulder. 

“I want this to be where I belong too,” he says softly as he rubs circles into my back. That was the last straw and I cry into him, “My poor boy, I’m sorry I left you hurting for so long.” 

“I-I’m sorry...I feel so weak.”

“Oh Aibou, you’re anything but weak. You’re quite possibly one of the strongest people I know. It’s okay to cry, I’ve cried over you too,” he says continuing to try and soothe me. 

“You have?” 

“Well you’re my everything too you know,” he says and my heart races. I try to hug him closer as if he’d disappear. 

“Atem, I um...”

“Yes?”

“About the letter...”

“I think I know what you’re referring to,” he laughs, I back out from his shoulder to look him in the eyes.

“If you know then don’t laugh.”

“Sorry Aibou, I didn’t mean it that way. You’re just really adorable,” he says taking my face in his hands and wiping away my tears with his thumbs. 

“If you already know what I want to say I guess I don’t need to say it.”

“You’re being pouty tonight, huh? Come on, I may know it, but I still want to hear it from your mouth.” I duck back into his shoulder.

“I love you Atem,” I hum against his skin. 

“I assume you mean this as more than platonic?”

“I ugh, yes...I don’t, I mean if there’s a queen or...” He cuts me off.

“No, Yugi, there is no queen, I have no lover, unless you would like to fill that position?” 

“Are you asking me to be your boyfriend, you lover, or your queen?”

“All of the above...if you so desire.”

“But is that what you want? I don’t want a one sided relationship because you just want to make me happy.” 

Atem falls back against the mattress. I catch myself from falling on top of him with my hands landing above his shoulders. He pulls his arms from my waist to my neck and pulls me into a kiss. 

“I really do love you Yugi. Does that squash your doubts?” 

“Yes other me, could you please do that again?” 

“Of course Aibou.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oi, last chapter will be the epilogue


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of headcanonish   
> I could probably write a whole other story about the hardships of their relationship if I find the time lmao

Yugi decided to not accept Atem’s offer at a relationship saying it would be too much too soon. Neither of them were ready to take their relationship to that level with not being used to being in separate bodies. However that didn’t stop Atem from sneaking into Yugi’s room during cooler nights because he was cold. Yugi was more than happy to provide cuddles.

Atem found it difficult adjusting to a different country in his own body being used to the Egyptian sun. He felt constantly cold and often slept in his sweatshirt. Yugi just used it as an excuse for physical contact.

It’s also important to mention that just because Yugi said no relationship Atem still filled his mind with every way he wanted to court him into one. Every time they went out and passed a venue Atem saw fitting for a date he’d project his romantic imagery to Yugi.

It continued until one night they were eating take out on the couch after several rounds of video games.

“So, would you consider _this_ a date?” Yugi asked joking about how often Atem had asked him out on one.

“It could be considered that way,” Atem replied and Yugi nearly choked on his food, “Unless...you’re still not sure,” he added with a sense of solemness in his voice.

“I ugh, I think it’s been enough time actually now that I think about it,” Yugi said setting his food down and laying his head against Atem’s shoulder.

“Okay, you can always back out if your uncomfortable,” Atem reminds him. Yugi shakes his head,

“I’m never uncomfortable with you other me.”

The End Until

possibly next time

**Author's Note:**

> This is just pretty much how I felt about my cat after she died of cancer a few months ago. I woke up one day and she was gone. I grew up with her. 15 years of my life and Idk I thought she could stay, I wanted her to stay 💔


End file.
